Labeling discrepancies continue to powerful enough to require recalls for major companies. Oscar Mayer has, according to the USDA, had to recall thousands of its hot dog products due to a mix-up that has left some of the food labels applied to the wrong products.

Two different brands of hot dogs are involved in this situation: the "Classic Weiners" and "Classic Cheese Dogs." 96,000 pounds of these meat products are being recalled because, about halfway through April, it was discovered that there had been confusion between the two products.

This action has been labeled as a "Class I" recall by the USDA, which means that there could be "serious, adverse health consequences or death" if this goes uncorrected. That's because the cheese dogs contain milk, which could upset those who have a sensitivity to this element and consume it unknowingly (having an allergy to milk is different from being lactose intolerant: the Mayo clinic lists some of the specifics of the allergy and points out that intolerance causes different symptoms).

Looking at the side by side comparison of the two product labels presented by the USDA, it's hard not to think that their similarity is part of the problem. Although there are health advisories "per link" on the cheese dogs that are not present on the other one, both of them have the same imagery and much of the language presented in a similar fashion: the color of the font on the cheese dogs is different, but only slightly.

This may not have had anything to do with the issue at hand, but it does show how labels can be close while the products they apply to remain, in reality, quite different. Choosing the right custom printed labels and the means to make them can help make this distinction.